My Experimental Curriculum

Composition in New Media on Prezi

For a class project I created this curriculum for a class on new media.

Pre-emptive Musical Self Defense

I recently bought Phantom Planet's 2008 disc Raise the Dead. I have listened to it about 10 times now and I still enjoy all of it, and I feel like I have to defend myself.
Phantom Planet is most known for the song California which served as the theme song for the epitome of teenage angst, pop-punk/emo, rich-white-kids-with-problems television series The OC. So Phantom Planet got pegged into this genre/culture (The lead singer Alex Greenwald being a former Gap model might have also helped this). Their concerts were and still are full of teenage girls trying to be older than they are using daddy's credit card to buy table merch. And for the most part, Phantom Planet has accepted this role. They know their audience and they embrace them. Switching to the Fueled by Ramen label instantly connected them with others firmly established in the teenage bracket such as Paramore, The Academy Is..., Cute Is What We Aim For, and emo kings Jimmy Eat World.
But my point with all this is that even though the brand persona of Phantom Planet fits easily into all this neo-yuppiness, their music is bold, subversive, intricate, and solidly crafted.
Borrowing from rock and roll legends like Elvis Costello, Greenwald's songs work as stripped down acoustic songs, or layered and intricate as in the albums (produced by Tony Berg).
The lyrics are dark, frustrated and dirty, yet subversively refer to having a good time. In "Do The Panic" Greenwald shouts for the dancers to "Put your left foot in. Now put your other left in" and then audibly chuckles. You'd think it no more than a cute pun until Greenwald comes back with the condescending observation, "Are you having trouble getting it down?" What seems an unrealistic and joking expectation becomes an real expectation that you as the dancer are failing at. "Quarantine" is a commentary on safe sex. And Greenwald deals with postmodern fragmentation of identity in "Leave Yourself For Somebody Else." "Leader" is a first person narrative from a cult follower with a disturbingly cute chorus of oohs sang by a choir of children.
No matter that Phantom Planet was and is seen as part of the teeny-bopping myspace culture, when it comes right down to it, they aren't. And that's why I feel justified in totally digging this album.

A video of my kids

Sorry It's Been So Long

I have not posted, but that does not mean I have not been creating. In case there is anyone out there who reads this who doesn't know (and I doubt that), I have been the director of photography and editor for a music interview/performance program called "on." with the Daily O'Collegian. Click here to check it out.

If you already knew about "on." You can expect more posts about other creations I've been working on. I've actually been sewing a lot lately, so I'll write about that. I'll talk about editing and videography somewhat too.

Until then, check out this picture of my new son, Malcolm.

on. Episode One

Andrew Arterbery

Interview

on. Music Program Episode One - Andrew Arterbery from Steven Hopkins on Vimeo.

Cloud

on. Episode One Andrew Arterbery - Cloud from Steven Hopkins on Vimeo.

Blind Willy

on. Episode One Andrew Arterbery - Blind Willy from Nathan Poppe on Vimeo.

on. Episode Two

Brotherbear

Interview

On. Episode Two Brotherbear Interview from Steven Hopkins on Vimeo.

Wolves

on. Episode Two Brotherbear - Wolves from Steven Hopkins on Vimeo.

Dream State

on. Episode Two Brotherbear - Dreamstate from Steven Hopkins on Vimeo.

Re Edit

I wanted to see what would happen if I edited the same footage twice. This is what I came up with the second time.



You might remember the first. Here it is to compare.